Chapter 1: The Beginning

Midgar, 1992

The war in Wutai was in full effect, and many of the Turks and SOLDIERS, including the great Sephiroth, a legend already, at the ripe age of 15, were off fighting in the foreign land. One young Turk, however, was still stationed in Midgar, and was now watching the small crowd at the train station dwindle to barely a trickle as the last passengers got off the train. He watched, and waited. The train whistled shrilly, and he sighed internally, realizing that they must not be on the train. Word was, the two had escaped from Icicle Inn and had been spotted headed toward Midgar. Just as he pulled away from the wall to leave, he heard the cry of a little girl.

"Mommy!"

He turned, excitement rising in him. They were here. An older woman stumbled out of the train, clutching her side, and a small girl, no older than seven, gripping her mother's dress. The woman collapsed to the ground, gasping, and the little girl started to cry. The Turk hurried forward, trying to ignore the sympathy he felt for the woman.

"Help my Mommy, please," pleaded the little girl as she spotted him. Then she paused, looking hesitant. He didn't blame her – she had spent her whole life being experimented on...it was only natural that she was wary.

"I don't think I can help her," the Turk said slowly, crouching down to the little girl's level. "But I can help you."

"I want you to save her!" she cried, tears running down her cheeks. She turned away from him and knelt over her mother, shaking her softly. "Wake up, mommy..."

The Turk swallowed heavily, his heart twisting. How cruel, for this girl to watch her mother die before her.

"She's...gone," the little girl hiccuped, and she looked at him with such certainty in her eyes that it unnerved him. "Where do I live now?" she asked, sniffling.

"I could help you," he said, trying to smile pleasantly. The girl sniffled again, wiping at her cheeks. "I could take you somewhere safe. No one will hurt you there." She merely stared at him with wide eyes, hiccuping occasionally.

"My name is Tseng," he said, offering his hand toward her. "What's yours?"

"I...I'm Aerith."

"Why don't you come with me, Aerith? I'll take good care of you. You can have a whole new family to take care of you..."

With a final glance back at her mother, Aerith took Tseng's hand and nodded shakily. "Okay..."


Aerith stared up at the large building, her eyes wide, nervousness flitting through her stomach. She missed her mother – but this man, he seemed so nice, with his brown eyes and kind smile. She wanted to trust him, even though the voice in her head was telling her not to. She didn't want to listen to the voice in her head, though. She didn't understand it – she knew it wasn't normal. She didn't like the voice that told her that her mother was dead.

Tseng led her into the building and she stared in amazement, eyes taking in the shiny elevators and impressive stairways – and there were a lot, she noted. She followed him into an elevator, and she watched the numbers change as they were pulled upward – it stopped on floor 51, and he gently tugged on her hand, and she walked along willingly.

"Ah, Tseng, who do you have here?" a man with blonde hair and an expensive suit asked.

"Hello, Director Lazard. This is Aerith – she was on the train, just as we were told. Her mother...died."

"This is the little girl Hojo was experimenting on?"

When the man – Lazard – mentioned Hojo, Aerith squirmed and tried to pull away from Tseng. "No!" she shouted. "I'm not going back to that man."

"Don't worry," Tseng said, crouching down next to her again. "We won't let him do anything to you. I told you, we're going to take good care of you."

"Yes, calm yourself, Aerith," Lazard said. "Do you know anything about SOLDIER?"

"No," she said, still wishing she could run away. But Tseng had a grip on her hand, and he wasn't letting go.

"Well, they're special. Just like you – and we take care of them. We're all like family, here. Would you like to be a part of that?"

"A family?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, a family," the man repeated and he smiled. He seemed nice, too.

"I would like that...are there other kids my age?" she asked, forgetting her fear as excitement swelled up in her.

"Not in SOLDIER," he said, shaking his head. "But Tseng might be able to help you. Didn't you just find that girl...what was her name?"

"Cissnei," he replied, turning to Aerith again. "She's about your age."

"Can I go meet her now?" Aerith asked.

"Certainly," Tseng agreed.

"Tseng," Lazard interrupted. "Make sure you keep Hojo away..."

"Agreed."


Gaia had lost the last Ancient to Shinra, the very same corporation that was draining away its life force. Through a series of various treatments, the planet had slowly lost its connection to the young girl, and eventually, could no longer make its voice be heard. The Planet knew then that it had to find a new candidate to save it. All it had to do was wait for the right opportunity.


Gongaga, 1997

"Zack, don't go near the mako reactor, do you hear me?" his mother said sternly, and Zack, just thirteen years old sighed and nodded.

"Fiiine, Mom," he groaned, having fully planned to go explore around the reactor. Gongaga could be so boring, but the reactor was new and exciting!

"I'm serious, young man, it's dangerous."

"I know," he said sullenly, slipping out the front door before his mother could berate him some more. He hated living in the country, with no one else his age around. It was utterly monotonous, but Zack couldn't leave. His father had fallen quite ill, and his mother needed him around to help with money. He felt guilty, but he resented his father's illness. He just wanted to be a kid, but he was being forced to grow up, forced to stay in a stupid little town for the rest of his life.

Feeling rather rebellious, Zack decided to disobey his mother's wishes and explore the mako reactor. After all, what could happen? He wasn't going to break anything, after all – just have a look. With a quick, darting look back at the house, he scurried away until he was out of view of his house, and far from the prying eyes of his mother. He slowed to a stroll, his shoes crunching against the dirt and gravel roads.

Shinra had come and built the mako reactor several months earlier, bringing much needed power to the small town of Gongaga. Zack had been positively wriggling with excitement when Shinra had come. He had hoped to see Sephiroth, the legendary SOLDIER, the first SOLDIER, famous for his war efforts in Wutai. Zack wanted to be just like him – the same as almost any young boy his age. But Sephiroth had not come, just workers from Shinra. Zack had been disappointed – but that didn't stop him from being curious about the reactor itself.

He'd heard about mako, of course – that it was dangerous, but it was also a blessing, giving power to all the towns and cities. He'd even heard there were eight in Midgar, the capitol, and headquarters of Shinra. He could hardly imagine the size of a city that would need that many reactors to keep it running. He'd decided it must be a wonderful place. He'd also heard rumors that mako was what made SOLDIERS so strong. He wondered if checking the reactor out would give him the same super strength that SOLDIERS had, and if he could become one, someday. It was his deepest desire to leave Gongaga. He wanted so much more.

Before he knew it, Zack was in front of the reactor. He stopped, taking in a deep breath of awe. It was much larger up close than he had ever anticipated. There was a low hum coming from the reactor, and a thrum that pulsed through the ground, emanating from it.

"Wow..." Zack breathed out, grinning excitedly. "This is amazing..." There were gated fences protecting the reactor, and to keep people out, Zack supposed, but he wasn't a thirteen-year-old boy for nothing. He walked along the edge of the fence until he found a loose spot and he dropped to the ground and squirmed under the fence. The metal scratched at his back, and he was grateful for his tough shirt. With a final grunt, he freed himself from the chain link fence and scrambled upright.

"Yes!" he hissed in victory, smiling broadly. Nervously, but shaking with excitement, Zack stepped toward the mako reactor, eyes wide with curiosity. He wondered how the machine made energy from mako – where did mako come from? The thrumming under his feet seemed to be growing louder, but he ignored it, sliding closer to the machine, trying to see inside the clear, circular window. A green glow was emitting from inside....

The ground began to rumble beneath him, and Zack finally realized that something was wrong. A rush of adrenaline surged through him and he turned from the reactor and ran toward the fence. He didn't waste his time trying to dive under the fence, this time, opting instead to climb over the top, barbed wire be damned. Behind him, he heard the reactor groan dangerously, the sound of metal twisting in his ears. He knew he wasn't going to make it.

"I should have listened," he moaned as he struggled to climb, and then the reactor finally gave out, exploding violently. Zack felt the shockwave hit him like a wall, and debris flew past him; then, the fence he had been climbing bowed down to the power of the blast, and everything in Zack's eyes went dark. He wouldn't wake for a long time.


The Planet had chosen its new savior, the one who would save everything.